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Indonesian President, Assembly Row Escalates
Tension between Indonesian president and legislators escalated further with both sides exchanging " threats of action" in relation to the special session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) scheduled for August 1, the Jakarta Post reported Saturday.
President Abdurrahman Wahid has set a one-week for the MPR to decide that the coming special session will not turn out to be his impeachment process, otherwise he will take stern action.
"I will give them until next Friday ... Do not violate the Constitution or I will take stern action," Wahid said after Friday prayers in South Jakarta.
However, he did not elaborate on what kind of action he would take should the Assembly refuse to back down from the planned special session.
Earlier in the day, the president contended that his five-year term of office was guaranteed by the Constitution.
"Let the MPR stage the special session, but it should not have an agenda for impeachment because my tenure until 2004 is guaranteed by the Constitution," Wahid said in a ceremony at the State Palace to mark the formulation of Pancasila, the state ideology.
MPR Chairman Amien Rais dismissed the president's threat, saying Wahid might be mistaken about constitutional facts.
He said the president should learn more about the Constitution to avoid making such statements.
Rais said that, despite the threat and pro-government demonstrations, the Assembly would go ahead with the special session recommended by the House of Representatives, and request the president's accountability.
"Gus Dur's (Wahid's nickname) fate will be determined in the special session. If the president's accountability is accepted, he will stay in power. However, if his accountability is rejected he will be gone," Rais said after the plenary session of the Assembly 's Working Committee at the MPR building.
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